


Jackdaw

by FountainsOfSilver



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Awkward Romance, Brotherly Love, Dwarf/Elf Relationship(s), F/M, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Multi, Polyamory, Polyandry, Post-Battle of Five Armies, Romance, Thief Nori, naughty Nori
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 10:45:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17385041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FountainsOfSilver/pseuds/FountainsOfSilver
Summary: Just as everyone is settling into Erebor's restoration, Nori's up to his old tricks again.





	Jackdaw

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fountainsofsilver for updates on new stories.

In and out. In and out.

Dori would never approve if he knew, but Nori needed this. Mahal, how he needed this! He loved the thrill of it. He was breathless from the anticipation of it and his heart raced in the act of it. A heat filled his body and he was as a predator stalking his prey. He would get what he wanted one way or another.

Yes! Slow in. Quick out. Over and over again.

As he entered, he looked at her. What a pretty lass. He paused to look a little closer. Her eyes were closed and her breasts rose and fell with every breath. A soft sigh left her as she wriggled to readjust herself more comfortably in the bed.

Nori noticed his hand pulled back when she did. He had been about to reach out and stroke her hair without even thinking of it. It was like golden threads in the moonlight cascading across the pillow. He liked gold. He liked anything shiny for that matter. He also liked pretty things and she fell into that category. Gold, shiny, and pretty. Yes, he liked her very much.

“Only means one thing when you come in whistlin’ after a night out. Hand it over.” Dori demanded upon hearing his brother’s cheerful whistle.

“What’s this? You’d think I was doin’ somethin’ I wasn’t supposed to.” Nori replied.

“Give it to me.” Dori said, standing between his brother and the bedroom.

“Give you what?” Nori asked innocently.

“You know damn well, what! Don’t make me take it from you.” Dori insisted.

“I’d like to see you try.” Nori said playfully and the brothers took to wrestling in the hall.

Ori came out of their bedroom to find his older brothers fighting. Again. He hated it when they did this. Before they had come to Erebor it had many times resulted in Nori running away from home for a while. “Please. Please don’t fight.”

Neither one of them liked upsetting their little brother, but Nori would sometimes get so defensive he couldn’t help himself. He was in a good mood today though and so he jumped up and holding his arms out said, “Search me then.”

Dori started patting him down and then, not feeling anything out of the ordinary, began pulling things off of him and feeling through the clothing one by one until Nori was in nothing but his underwear. Nori pulled those off too and threw them in Dori’s face.

“Clean ‘em for me since you made me take it all off. I’m goin’ to bed. Good day, gentlemen!” Nori saluted them and walked past both brothers buck naked and went into their shared bedroom.

“He’s been good lately, why don’t you leave him be?” Ori pleaded.

“He’s always stolen something when he comes home whistlin’ like that!” Dori said in his defense. “Always!”

“Except this time he hasn’t, so we can’t say always anymore can we?” Ori said trying to find the positive spin. Thank goodness Nori hadn’t been mad and stormed out. Ori never knew when he would leave and never come back. “I wish you wouldn’t push him so.”

“He gives as good as he gets.” Dori said with a wrinkled brow as he picked up all of Nori’s clothes strewn about. Dori loved his brothers, but he was the eldest. It was his responsibility to keep them in line and their noses clean. But he worried endlessly about Nori and was so worried it would affect Ori’s potential opportunities if his brother was caught in some of his more illegal acts.

He thought he would settle down after their grand adventure. The three of them had come so far together and through so much. So much trial and sadness that their reward at the end of the journey was lackluster and dull to Dori. And yet, they had come through it all as a family. Brothers closer than before. That was the greater reward.

Dori looked at the door to the room he shared with his brothers. Even now when they were one of the wealthiest families in Erebor they shared a room. That closeness they had gained on the road was difficult to give up. As were old habits. I’m still an old fussbucket, he thought of the name his brother had called him more than once. He would apologize to Nori later. He realized now that if their family fell apart it would be because of him holding onto his old ways.

Ori watched Dori washing their brother’s clothes with concern lining his entire face. He smiled. He would talk to Nori when he woke up. Dori couldn’t help the way he was. It was because he loved them so much that he smothered and fussed so. “It’ll be all right, Dori.” He said quietly. “I think he is just accustomed to a certain level of adventure in his life and doesn’t know what to do with himself right now.”

Dori started to snap back, but stopped himself. Ori was right. He sighed and looked up at him. “When did my littlest brother become the biggest?”

Ori smiled meekly.

The cool evening breezes called to him. Everything was harsh in the light of day, but at night in the moonlight things were magical. Even the slow repair of the ruins of Dale looked beautiful to him. Parents tucked their children into cozy little beds and told them fantastic tales. Nothing about dragons. It was still too fresh to talk about that. Nothing scary. These were children of war. They’d had enough scary. These adventures were all of far away lands, nothing so close that the danger might be near. Tales of helpful and mischievous fairies and of heroes rescuing fair maidens and princes finding their princesses. Nori listened to them all.

He explored the city, looking in windows, observing the humans and all of their fascinating interactions. They were so different from dwarves. But what did he know of his own people? Dwarven halls didn’t have windows to peek in. The home life of a dwarven family was a private thing. His parents had died when he was young. His recollections of his father were very vague and they were shrouded in the mists of his memory. He only recalled a little more about his mother, only that she was always preoccupied with Ori who was still a baby when she died. For a dwarf with no father, he did not get the attention nor guidance he needed. Dori was quick to step up to be the dwarf of the hall and what was left for Nori to do?

He looked at his reflection in the waters of the still fountain. He used to think he was a bad dwarf. He started the stealing for his brothers. They had to eat, didn’t they? Wasn’t it good to provide for them? But he stole more than food. He stole things they didn’t exactly need. Sometimes it would be a little toy for Ori or a hair bead for Dori. Dori lost his mind when he found out. But by then the stealing had become something else, something he needed. They didn’t understand. At the time it was the only thing he could control. It didn’t even matter what he stole then, just so long as he got away with it. It was that deep breath you took when you accomplished something and felt sure of yourself. It was the only time he ever felt sure of anything.

He climbed a building and lay on his back to look at the stars. Hadn’t he just accomplished something with his friends and his family? The greatest thing he would ever accomplish? What does one do after that? Shouldn’t he feel complete? His adventure was over. According to the humans, this was when happily ever after happened. He didn’t feel unhappy, but nor did he feel particularly happy, at least, not what he would imagine the happy in the happily ever after felt like.

He dropped down to the ledge and crawled into the darkened window slowly, his eyes quickly adapting to the lower lighting. He didn’t want to be a bad dwarf. He didn’t want to go back to old ways that would upset Dori and disappoint Ori. He just wanted to be happy and this excitement was as close as he ever got to it.

“What makes you happy, Dori?” He asked drowsily at breakfast the next morning, his head laying on the table.

“A fine cup of tea appropriate to the occasion.” Dori answered.

Nori looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. “No, really.”

Dori sat there thinking for a moment. “What else is there?”

Nori flopped his head to the other side. “Ori?”

“Warm mittens.” Ori answered.

“Intelligent conversation.” Dori added.

“A warm bed on a cold night.” Ori nodded.

“It sounds like you are cold all the time.” Nori chuckled.

“I don’t much like a chill.” Ori conceded.

“What makes you happy, Nori?” His younger brother asked.

“Goin’ to bed after breakfast and wakin’ up to dinner.” He replied with a yawn.

“I wish you’d spend some of your time with us.” Ori said quietly. “We’re going to the marketplace today.”

“Lemme sleep a couple of hours first, will ya?”  
  
Ori lit up. “You’ll go then?”  
  
Nori nodded. Ori was so easy to please. He never knew what to do to please Dori. It seemed all Dori wanted was for him to not be himself and be more like Dori. Live up to his potential, whatever that meant. That’s what he used to say. But now he thought Dori would be content just for him to stay out of trouble. Dori needn’t worry. It had been a long time since he’d been caught at any mischief.

He used to think he didn’t know how to be good, but didn’t Dori do his best to teach him? What must it have been like for Dori? He had lost his father too. Nori always saw him as older, but when he looked back in his mind he saw how young Dori was when he got the burden put on him to take over first for one parent and then the other. If Nori was uncertain what a dwarven family was, Dori would only have had a slight advantage. Dori didn’t know what a dwarven childhood was. How hard it must have been for him to always be in that worry-scurry as Nori called it. He used to think that Dori chose that personality, but their circumstances shaped them. Dori was what he was and Nori was what he was. Only Ori had potential to live up to, he supposed.

Ori didn’t mind Dori’s smothering behavior. Ori didn’t recall either of their parents, only his brothers. Any attention from either of them was good attention. Ori liked to learn and Dori’s pushing didn’t bother him. He liked to be guided so Dori’s obsessive regiments did not stifle him.

“Please don’t… Please don’t…” Dori muttered quietly. Ori looked over his brother’s shoulder and saw Nori touching a bead that had sparkling stones along the side. Perhaps the marketplace was not a good place to take him along with Dori in an effort to reconcile the two to day to day life. His oldest brother was so high strung and suspicious and really, really making an effort to not keep constant eyes on Nori or accuse him.  
  
“It’s very lovely.” Ori said to Nori and his brother tossed it back down into the basket with the others.  
  
“Not my style.” Nori said and walked on.  
  
Ori was trying not to be as suspicious as Dori, but the behavior was odd. With Dori averting his eyes, Ori took up the task himself with what he hoped was a bit more diplomacy. He saw him fingering several other pieces of jewelry, but nothing seemed otherwise amiss. He felt a bit of the tension Dori must feel all the time every time his brother touched something and Nori seemed to want to touch everything.  
  
The thing about daylight in the marketplace, the light caught every sparkling, shining thing and Nori’s quick eyes saw them all. The temptation was almost unbearable. It was not as if he couldn’t afford these things now. It was not as if he needed any of them. Most of the jewelry was altogether too feminine anyway. All that delicate elvish stuff that was popular right now. But it was just so much sparkling as if everything was vying for his attention.

Suddenly time slowed down. Nori’s focus narrowed. All of the chitter chatter background noise in the market faded. His sleeping princess walked by laughing and talking with a friend. She brushed back a shining strand of golden hair behind one delicate pointed ear and for just a split second her eyes met his and she smiled. She smiled! And then she was walking away as if it was the most casual thing in the world to meet the love of your life and give him nothing more than passing glance like he was some kind of stranger.  
  
“Watch out, dwarf!” A man called in a cart narrowly missing running him down as Ori and Dori yanked him out of the street. He had been standing there staring into the distance with his mouth open, clutching the front of his tunic.  
  
“What’s wrong with you?” Dori began to scold and then stopped himself quickly.  
  
They wouldn’t understand, Nori thought. Dori would certainly not approve. “Nothin’. Just thought I saw someone.” He mumbled, his bright eyes darting back and then forcing them back toward his brothers again. “Nothin’.”  
  
Finally Dori’s attention was elsewhere. Finally Ori was preoccupied with counting the sheets of parchment he had just purchased. The shopkeeper was caught up in Dori’s excited discussion of all the new teas coming into Dale at long last and Nori stuffed a small bag of tea leaves in his jacket.

He felt a tingling on the back of his neck though and his ears twitched and burned. He knew what that meant and he slowly turned his head and eyes until he was looking up at the green accusing eyes of his fairytale princess. She had seen him do it! There was no doubt how it looked, his hand still securing the bag in an inner pocket. It felt like Dori’s judgment only infinitely worse.  
  
Had she after all recognized the love of her life and coming back to meet him after some loathsome errand just caught him in the act of what appeared to be some petty thievery? Why was she looking at him like he’d just stolen the Arkenstone then? Why did he feel as if he’d just stolen the Arkenstone from his own dead mother? She just looked at him, her eyes not leaving him. She didn’t say a word. Perhaps, like him she had been struck silent by meeting her heart strum. Her eyes locked him in place.  
  
He felt himself being pulled away by his collar and now someone grabbing upon his sleeve. His eyes still did not leave her as he was pulled out into the blinding light of day. His mind was in a dream. He could not focus. Were his brothers talking to him? He had no interest in their chatter. She had been there. She had come back to meet him again. It was fate! It was destiny! It was—  
  
“Here now!” She called after the three dwarves that had gone down a side street.  
  
The silver haired one was patting the face of the thief rather roughly. He seemed in a daze until she spoke and then he turned to look at her.

“Can I help you, miss?” Dori asked.  
  
“Mmhm.” She nodded. “You can tell me if the three of you are all in on it.”  
  
“In on it…?” Dori asked.  
  
“Are you the distraction for that one?”  
  
Realization hit Dori and then Ori.  
  
“You didn’t!?” Dori cried to Nori and then to Ori, “I thought you were watchin’ him.”  
  
“I only took my eyes off him for a minute.” Ori’s eyes welled up. This was about to end it all, he just knew it. Things had been so good!  
  
“Well a fine thing this is!” Nori barked. “Me own brothers gangin’ up on me! And you havin’ little Ori takin’ up your suspicious ways!”  
  
“If I’m suspicious, it’s because you give me reason to be!” Dori returned. “Turn out your pockets!”  
  
“I’ve had quite enough of these accusations!” Nori said and huffed off.

She grabbed his ear as he started to pass her. “I think we’ve not had quite enough of the truth here yet.”  
  
“OW! Oh lass! That hurts, but at the same time I really kind of like it…” Nori said as she pulled him back over to his brothers.  
  
“You heard your father! Let’s see what else you’ve got in those pockets.”  
  
“Father…? I’m his brother…” Dori cried “Ah Nori, you’ve aged me so with all of your mischief.”  
  
“Look at this, you’ve made his hair go white with worry for you!” She said giving his ear a bit of a pinch. “And you’ve made this other little brother cry.” She took out a handkerchief and dabbed at Ori’s eyes. “Ah there, there…”  
  
“Please save a dry place on that handkerchief for me…” Nori pleaded as his eyes watered from her ear pinching.  
  
“Look at how much they love you and look here at what you’ve done. These brothers of yours obviously care about you very much to put up with this nonsense it seems you have put them through more than just today. You’re going to listen to their grievances.”  
  
“Why, Nori?” Dori pleaded.  
  
“I didn’t mean to steal nothin’. I was gonna pay the man, honest!” Nori said with a nod.  
  
She pat Ori on the head in a consoling way and pointed at Nori accusingly. “You put it in your pocket and walked out the door. That’s stealing and nothing honest about it. Well, I paid for it because I didn’t think that man should be robbed of his livelihood and I suspected these brothers of yours didn’t deserve damage to their good names so I didn’t call you out in there. People in this town are rebuilding their lives, some of them for a second time. There is no reason they should have to lose what little money they are scraping by to some spoiled Dwarf Lord!”

“I wanted it to be a surprise for Dori. He likes tea appropriate to the occasion and conversation.” Nori tried to explain.  
  
“It was a surprise all right!” Dori said feeling around in his brother’s pockets. “I thought, I had hoped, you were beyond all of this!”  
  
“And what tea is appropriate to telling your family you don’t respect them enough to pay for it? What tea says ‘your brother is a thief?’” She scolded.  
  
“I’m not a thief! Not… anymore.” Nori swore. Oh this was worse than one of Dori’s scoldings. “I was gonna pay him, I just wanted it to be a surprise. That’s why I put it in my pocket. I didn’t want Dori to see it, but I was gonna pay! I swear!”  
  
Dori pulled out a necklace. “Were you going to pay for this too?”  
  
“AH!” Ori cried. He had seen Nori touching that, but he never saw him take it.  
  
“Yes!” Nori exclaimed. “I was gonna go back when you were busy and pay for all of it.”  
  
“Wait… That’s like the earrings…” She said as she slowly covered her mouth.  
  
Nori grabbed the necklace out of Dori’s hand and held it close. “She wasn’t supposed to see that yet. It was a surprise.”  
  
“You…” She backed away from him. “You’re the one who’s been sneakin’ into my room at night.”

There was a stunned silence for a minute. Nori just looked up at her with eyes full of adoration.  
  
“Did you like the gifts I left you?” He asked hopefully. “I thought maybe you didn’t wear the earrings because you wanted the necklace to match.”

“Gifts… You stole those things and put them in my room! I wasn’t going to walk around in jewelry that just randomly showed up and I didn’t know where it came from. If I’d worn those stolen earrings I could have been put in prison! I could lose my home and livelihood if anyone finds those other things! You two will come by later and get every last one of them!” She said addressing Dori and Ori.  
  
“If you don’t like them I’ll get you somethi—”  
  
“Wh-what’s wrong with you? I don’t want any more of this stolen stuff from you. EVER! I don’t want to see you again! EVER! Stay away from me, you dirty little jackdaw!” She turned and stormed away.

“That ain’t no way to talk to the love of your life…” Nori murmured mournfully after she was gone.

“What does she mean you’ve been sneaking into her room?” Dori asked in a low voice.

“I ain’t answerin’ none of your questions. She spoiled the surprise.” Nori said with a frown.

Ori spun him around and pinned him against the wall. “You’re going to answer all of them.” He said, surprising them all.  
  
Dori and Ori apologized profusely when they came to gather the things. Most of it was Dori apologizing. Ori just blushed and looked away anytime he caught her eye. She said this had been going on for the better part of a week. Every morning she would wake up with these jewels next to her on her pillow. Every night she had tried to stay awake to catch the perpetrator and every night she fell asleep because it was so hot. She had to keep the window open because it was summertime and she lived above a bakery. That was the only way she could get any relief from the heat. Indeed, while they were there it was stiflingly hot and she was forced to open the window as they spoke.  
  
Dori told her if she had any other troubles with Nori who and where they were and to come to them immediately. He insisted that Nori was no danger. Troubled, but otherwise harmless.  
  
She must have sensed it or how else would she be able to sleep at night, she thought. She sighed. Clearly these two weren’t any part of their brother’s criminal activities. The elder one was positively mortified that he would do such a thing and the younger one was so flustered and embarrassed that she felt bad for them both.  
  
She stood there furious at their door the next morning. Dori assured her he would do something about his brother’s stealing and that he didn’t mean anything by it.  
  
“But he does mean something by it.” Ori said quietly.  
  
“Not now, Ori.” Dori said firmly.

“When you say you’re going to do something about it, what exactly do you mean?” She asked with her hands on her hips.

“Well, Miss Vala, I’m going to sit him down and have a good long talk about the error of his ways.” Dori said with a nod.

“And then?” She asked.  
  
“Ah, well…” Dori looked at Ori nervously. “And then we will tell him he should apologize.”  
  
“And then?” She prodded.  
  
“And then… he will apologize and never do it again.” Dori assured her.  
  
“How long has he been stealing things?” She asked, crossing her arms on her chest.  
  
“As long as I can remember.” Ori said.  
  
“And this “talk”, is this the same talk you have with him every time he does this?” She asked.  
  
Dori wrung his hands and nodded, smiling weakly.  
  
“Seriously? You keep doing the same thing that doesn’t work and wonder why it doesn’t work?” She put her hands back on her hips again, giving Dori a scathing look.  
  
“I… well…” He began looking down. When she put it that way it didn’t make sense.  
  
“Sometimes Dori’ll give ‘im a knock in the head too, but he always runs away from home when that happens.” Ori said. “Oh please don’t knock him in the head, Dori! Not now that we’re all gettin’ on so well!”  
  
“Where is he?” She demanded.  
  
“He’s sleeping.” Dori answered.  
  
“Let me see him.”  
  
“He’s been out all night.” Ori explained.

“Oh, I am WELL aware of that. Just look at this!” She showed them a sparkling, gem-encrusted bead at the end of a long dwarven courtship braid.” She frowned. “I can’t even figure out how to even get it off.” She huffed.  
  
“It’s one of his make all right. No one will be able to remove it save Nori.” Dori replied noting peculiar collection of bright colored gems. Dori looked like he would sink into the stone below his feet if he could. One did not just put a courtship braid in another's hair without permission, and a bead with a locking mechanism... Mortified he was! Dori didn't blame her for being upset. “He won’t be easy to wake. I’ll get him.”  
  
“Oh no.” Valadhiel put her hand on Dori’s shoulder to stop him. “I don’t want you to wake him. Take me to him.”  
  
Dori’s face turned pink and a blush lit Ori’s cheeks as well. They nodded and scurried along to show her their room. She went in and shut the door saying she would just be a moment with him.  
  
She only had a candle to light her way and the sound of his snoring to guide her. His snoring was light, somewhere between the sound of a growl and a purr. She couldn’t deny secretly to herself that it was a cute sound. He lay their sprawled out on his back on top of the furs and completely naked. She felt the heat come to her face and couldn’t help but to look at all of him. OH! He even had the hair between his legs braided with tiny little beads... She was embarrassed at how long she looked.  
  
She came out after just a couple of minutes and Dori and Ori looked up at her bashfully.  
  
“That didn’t take as long as I thought it would.” Ori said quietly.  
  
“Ori!” Dori scolded. Dori wasn’t sure why she had been so quick either, but he was sure it was none of their business. He also wasn’t quite sure why she was looking at them so curiously.  
  
“He shouldn’t do it again. Now he’ll understand how creepy it is to come into someone’s bedroom when they are sleeping.” She said. “Perhaps now he’ll understand what it feels like to have something stolen from you.”  
  
She hadn’t even woken him? Dori wondered if that was even possible, but what did he know?

Both Dori and Ori bowed to her as she left. She just shook her head and walked out.

Ori tore down the hall to see to his brother.  
  
“ORI! Don’t run in the—uh…” Dori huffed and took off after him.  
  
Ori stood there with his hand over his mouth as he looked down at his sleeping brother. When Dori looked at him, he thought something was different about him. He’d heard that might happen. Ori pointed and Dori let out a scream that would have woken the entire mountain.  
  
Nori grabbed the knives under his pillow and jumped up into a crouched position. His brothers were just staring at him in shock. His body relaxed. “Fuck it, Dori. I thought you was bein’ murdered. What’s wrong? Orcs in the mountain?”  
  
They just stared at him and shook their heads.  
  
His body tensed again. “Dragon?”  
  
They shook their heads again.  
  
“You-your…” Ori pointed at Nori, but couldn’t get the words out.  
  
Dori grabbed Nori and took him to the mirror on their wardrobe.  
  
The knives clattered to the ground. “Me eyebrows are gone! Where’d they go?!”

“The lass cut them off.” Dori whispered.  
  
“Why did she cut them off?” Ori cried.  
  
“What lass?” Nori asked.  
  
“The one you’ve been courtin’.” Ori answered.  
  
Nori turned and smiled, his eyes wide with excitement. “She was here?”  
  
Ori nodded. “She cut off your eyebrows.”  
  
“But she was here?!”    
  
“Your eyebrows…” Dori said. He wanted to cry. Of the three of them Nori was the most handsome and most likely to draw a dwarrowdam’s eye. But now…  
  
Nori gave up on the two of them answering him. They were in a state and he wanted to see the lass before she was gone. He went tearing down the hall and to the front door.  
  
Dori screamed again. Their brother was going to run stark naked through Erebor and ruin his chances at getting any lass. He and Ori went running after him.

They caught him down a corridor as he was calling out for her to come back, that he would forgive her and everything was all right because he understood why she did it. His brothers grabbed him and wrapped a cloak around his waist.  
  
Valadhiel spun around and glared down at him. “You do? Really this time?” She asked skeptically.  
  
Nori nodded quickly and took both of her hands in his. “You don’t have ta feel insecure just ‘cause I’m so handsome though. Even though you ain’t a dwarrowdam and you ain’t got no beard, I still find you pretty in a strange sorta way.” He smiled up at her.  
  
“W-what?” She stammered.  
  
“If my eyebrows made you feel like you weren’t good enough, you shoulda just told me. I’da cut ‘em off for you.” He kissed her knuckles and held her hand against his face.  
  
“Now you listen here!” She said yanking her hands out of his. “I don’t care anything about your eyebrows. I was tryin’ to teach you a lesson about stealin’.”  
  
“You wanted them as a memento of me?” Nori asked, confused but excited that she must care about him to want to rob him of one of his eyebrows.  
  
“I don’t want them at all! They are stupid lookin’!” Valadhiel huffed.  
  
“I think she’s sayin’ they aren’t of an elvish aesthetic.” Dori summarized diplomatically for his brother. He certainly didn’t want Nori’s feelings to be hurt.  
  
“Thank you!”

Nori looked in deep thought for a moment. “You’re not insecure at all about your strange looks?”  
  
“I don’t look strange!” She growled.  
  
“I agree!” He nodded again. “I think you’re beautiful and now I see that you were tryin’ to get me up to snuff. Just so’s you know though, me eyebrows were me best feature.”  
  
“It was his best feature!” Dori cried.  
  
“But that just means no dwarrowdam’ll be tryin’ too hard to wrestle me away from ya. I look like what you like and not what they like now.” Nori smiled.  
  
“That wasn’t the point. That wasn’t the point at all…” She said, rubbing her forehead. “I don’t care anything about your stupid lookin’ eyebrows. I don’t care anything about your looks at all…”  
  
“That is rather contrary.” Dori noted. “Why would you steal something you don’t care about?”  
  
“DON’T YOU START UP WITH ME TOO!” She yelled and Dori shuffled back a couple of steps. “I wanted you to understand how creepy it is to have someone come into your room while you’re sleepin’.”  
  
“But, it wasn’t creepy.” Nori replied. “I like that you came into me room. You can come anytime you like. You can stay too.”  
  
“Nori!” Dori whispered urgently.

“If you saw somethin’ you liked, you are more than welcome to tou—”  
  
“NORI!” Dori barked. Ori was bright red.  
  
“You are obviously not at all right in the head and it is hard to explain this in a way you will understand. YOU may like anyone comin’ into your room at night—”  
  
“Not just anyone, you.” Nori corrected with a smile and a nod.  
  
“Okay, I don’t like just anyone comin’ into my room and that includes you. I don’t like it. I don’t want you to do it again.”  
  
“Can I look at ya from the window while you’re asleep?” Nori asked.  
  
“NO! I don’t like that either. It’s creepy to watch people sleep. I do not want to be watched while I’m asleep.”  
  
“Can I watch you while you’re awake?” He offered.  
  
“I don’t want you watchin’ me at all.” She replied.  
  
Nori knitted what was left of his eyebrows. “I don’t understand…”  
  
“I am beginning to see that.” Valadhiel sighed. “I think maybe you’re not at all bad, you just don’t comprehend what is appropriate and what is not.”  
  
Nori grasped her hands and looked up at her with damp eyes. “You really don’t think I’m bad?” He asked with desperate hope.

 “Stealing is bad though. You can’t keep stealing.” She said. 

“I don’t steal no more.” Nori replied shaking his head adamantly in reassurance.

“What is all the stuff in my bedroom then?” Valadhiel asked.  
  
“Gifts! Oh, but I paid for ‘em. Eventually.” Nori replied. “I do like sneakin’ and takin’, but I ain’t stole nothin’ since you told me not to before. Not really…”  
  
“What does ‘not really’ mean?” She asked.  
  
“I paid real close attention when you were so concerned about that fella’s livelihood and I sure didn’t want to steal nobody’s livelihood after that. We had our livelihood stolen from us and it’s not too nice. But just the same, I like to be able to trick people and get away with somethin’, so I would take the thing and leave the money and a note about what I took  without them bein’ any the wiser.”  
  
“You didn’t steal any of that stuff…?” She asked.  
  
“No. O’ course not.” Nori said proudly. “Bought it with me own coin.”  
  
“I’m not sure I believe you.”  
  
“What?! Why not?” Nori was crestfallen. He had hoped she would be impressed with him turning over a new leaf.  
  
“I find that anyone who will steal from you will also lie to you.” She said.  
  
“I didn’t steal nothin’ from you and I ain’t never lied to you!” Nori exclaimed.

“But you have stolen and that means you’re as good as a liar too.” She said with her hands on her hips.  
  
“Aye… but never from you and that’s all in the past now.” Nori nodded.  
  
She shrugged. “Nevertheless you’ve stolen and so why would I be able to believe you?”  
  
“Because I’m tellin’ the truth! Tell her, Dori.” Nori pleaded.  
  
“How would I know if you’re tellin’ the truth?” Dori asked.  
  
Nori looked at Ori who looked sad and could only shrug.  
  
“Oh Dori, ye told me them thievin’ ways would catch up to me and here they just now did at the worst possible time!” Nori cried. “The worst possible time!”  
  
“You didn’t think they had caught up with you all the times you were caught and put in jail?” Dori asked wearily.  
  
“I ain’t never thought of it then! That wasn’t important. This is the love of me life. You gotta help me, brothers!” Nori pleaded. “She thinks I’m still a lyin’ thief. That ain’t me! That was yesterday, not today!”  
  
“You can’t regain trust that quickly, Nori.” Ori said quietly. “Even if the people who love you want to trust you.”

“Is it true?” Nori grabbed Ori’s shoulders. “Me own little brother doesn’t trust me after all we been through?”  
  
Ori looked down.  
  
“It all caught up to me in one day! It’d be the worst day o’ me life, ‘cept I have me love and me brothers here with me. I can make it right! What do I do?”  
  
“I don’t care in the least and I mean that. I just want you to stop stealin’ things and puttin’ them in my room. I want you to stop comin’ into my room. I want you to take all the stuff you gave me back.” Valadhiel said.  
  
Dori gasped. “You can’t return a gift! I understand why you’d want the stolen things gone, but he left purchased gifts and things he’s made with his own hands. You just don’t… It just isn’t done!”  
  
“Aye! I gave ya them things from the love in me heart. Just because you don’t love me back don’t mean I don’t still love you and want ye to have ‘em. Besides how can I come get ‘em if ye just told me not to come into your room again?” Nori sobbed. “Ye don’t love me back!”  
  
“Givin’ someone a gift doesn’t make them love you.” She said, feeling bad about breaking the persistent little thief’s heart.  
  
“What does?! I need to know what to do to get you to trust me and love me.”  
  
She shrugged. “Trust and love are earned, not bought with gifts.”  
  
“So I gotta court you without gifts…” Nori said rubbing his chin, not at all understanding how that worked. Courting an elf was hard!

Valadhiel was exasperated. “Why would a dwarf even want to court a half-elf?”  
  
“You’re the love o’ me life. I think I mighta mentioned it once or twice.” Nori answered.  
  
“I don’t get it.”  
  
“I’ve give up me stealin’ because I don’t need it no more once I put me eyes on you. I asked me brothers was makes them happy and Ori says he likes bein’ warm and cozy. I got to thinkin’ about all the times Dori bundled us up with scarves and shoved mittens onto our hands and tucked us in tightly at night. What Ori meant was he likes the way Dori frets over the both of us. And Dori is happy talkin’ with smart folks and tea appropriate to the situation. Dori means he likes talkin’ with Ori all the time, because don’t he make sure Ori is all educated up and sits there drinking his tea askin’ Ori questions about his lessons and just closes his eyes and listens lookin’ happy as can be? They are both happy because they got each other and what does ol’ Nori contribute? I tried puttin’ dinner on the table and givin’ Dori fancy things, but they was stolen things and Ori gets sad and Dori gets mad and after we got all our riches in Erebor I didn’t need to do them things no more. But I kept at it, because what does Nori give ‘em? Ain’t nothin’ but headaches accordin’ to Dori.”  
  
Ori hugged Nori and Dori put his hand on his shoulder and then hugged him too.  
  
“I like being cozy and warm, but I meant with both my brothers on either side of me when I go to sleep at night.” Ori explained. “I am happy when you’re both there because it means you’re not in trouble somewhere and Dori’s content enough to go to bed. When it’s just Dori, I worry about you and I can’t stop thinking about it because one side of the bed is cold. Sometimes both, because Dori will stay up pacing while he worries about you. You both make me happy.”  
  
“Is it true, little brother?” Nori cried.  
  
Ori nodded and Dori added, “I meant you too when I was talkin’ about intelligent conversation.”  
  
“But I ain’t educated like Ori.” Nori replied.

“But you are clever in your own way. How many times have you talked us through any problems? You see things in a different way than everyone else and though I don’t always agree, there is no denyin’ you are smart. You have to know that the only time I really enjoy my tea is like Ori said, when we’re all together and I’m not worryin’ about you. I’m happy when we’re all together.”

“Ah, well this is all very good and I’m glad you’re all happy now.” Valadhiel said and turned to leave.  
  
“No! Don’t go.” Nori broke the hug and took her hand. “I need you. For me It was like somethin’ was missin’ before and thievin’ was excitin’ and for a little bit I felt somethin’ close to happy when I did it, but if I have you I don’t need it no more. When I first saw you it was like that big missin’ part got all filled up. You’re me happiness. Don’t you see, ye just fixed all me problems with me brothers because you’re clever too. Won’t Dori like havin’ tea and talkin’ with ye too? Won’t Ori be all that much cozier when you’re in our bed too?”  
  
“WAIT A MINUTE!” Valadhiel had to stop Nori right there. “How did I go from havin’ one crazy dwarf court me to three?!”  
  
Nori processed this quickly. “AYE. That’s it.” He turned to his brothers. “You two can help me court her!”  
  
“What…?” Dori stammered. “Now let’s think this thing through…” Ori turned bright pink.  
  
“Aye, let’s!” Nori threw his arm around Dori’s shoulders.  
  
“Please no…” Valadhiel said. “I don’t have time for this. I need to go to work.”  
  
Nori rushed back over to her and took her hand and kissed it again and again. “I’ll miss ye so. Don’t ye worry though, we’ll come up with a plan.”  
  
“Ugh, I hope not.” She hurried off to the bakery.  
  
“Lads, ye just gotta help me court her. Dori, ye don’t feel happy until ye’ve sufficiently fussed over us and can relax. Just think about how calm everything will be when she’s here with us. I won’t need to go lookin’ for all that what I have already. Ori just wants us to all be together too, don’t ye?”

“I… aye.” Ori said. “If she will keep Nori out of trouble and make him happy, I want her here with us too.”

Dori sighed. He would do anything for his brothers and their happiness. It didn’t seem like Nori was asking for much, just a wife of his choosing. He pat Nori on the back and nodded, feeling his own kind of happiness when Ori smiled at him for making an effort with their brother and Nori lighting up with a joy he had seldom seen. Oh, the mischief would light his eyes before, but Dori could see this fill his brother’s entire being.

Two days later the three brothers entered the bakery. Valadhiel was instantly wary upon seeing them. She had gotten one day and two nights of peace without any of Nori’s antics, though she still couldn’t get the bead out of her hair. She had forgotten to tell him to remove it. She supposed this was as good a time as any, although she dreaded his reaction. Dwarves seemed very particular about gifts. They all looked like they had gone to a lot of effort to look nice. This was not going to go well…

“Miss Vala.” Dori made a slight bow and glancing back saw Ori had done the same while Nori just stared at her gaping. He elbowed Nori.

“What’s that for?” Nori asked irritably, rubbing his chest.  
  
“Bow to her.” Dori muttered.  
  
“Oh!” Nori made a deep, exaggerated bow.

“Mahal…” Dori closed his eyes and shook his head.  
  
Had they come in when she was busy, she could have kept herself at task and ignored them. As it was they had somehow managed to time their visit to when she was just finishing up for the day with rarely a customer at this time. There was nothing she could do. “How may I help you gentlemen?” Keep it all professional and polite, she thought.  
  
Dori stepped forward. “We would like to speak with you. At your convenience, of course.”  
  
She sighed inwardly. Might as well get it over with. “Go on.”  
  
“We have a proposal that you might find agreeable.” He said.  
  
Proposal. Right. This was already going awry. “Go ahead.”  
  
“Might we have a seat to discuss it?” Dori hated being rude and that sounded terribly rude. Just inviting themselves to a seat was not at all proper. “Well, as you’ve been hard at work on your feet all day. If you’d rather stand, we are fine with that. It might take a bit to go over.”  
  
Nori fidgeted behind him. The other brother looked pale as a ghost and she thought he might need to sit down actually.  
  
“This way.” She flipped the open sign and locked the door, leading them into the kitchen. “Make yourself comfortable.” She indicated the table and four chairs.  
  
Nori’s eyes grew wide and he just stared at the table. “Four chairs! It’s like she was expectin’ us!”

“A dozen or more is typical for a dwarven table.” Ori said quietly.  
  
“I’ve only ever had one or two guests at a time.” She replied, putting a basket of rolls and breads on the table along with jams, jellies, and honey. She offered them milk as well, which they accepted and put butter and cheese on the table before sitting with them.  
  
“What about family?” Dori asked. Four place settings seemed small for a family unless some tragedy had occurred.  
  
“I don’t have any.” She replied to the astonished expressions of the three dwarves.  
  
“I’m so sorry.” Dori said sadly.  
  
“My condolences for your loss.” Ori added.  
  
“How have you been gettin’ on all on your own?!” Nori cried.  
  
“I manage fine.” She answered.  
  
“No family and only one or two friends!” Nori was distraught.  
  
“My father was an elf. He died protecting my mother and I when the dragon came the first time. And my mother was human. She died a little over a hundred years ago.”

“Ain’t got no one to take care of her!” Nori wailed.  
  
“I told you I manage fine. I am perfectly capable of takin’ care of myself.” She said.  
  
“Now I know how Dori must worry every time I wander off to findin’ some mischief.” Nori said.  
  
“That’s exactly right, brother.” Dori replied.  
  
“No wonder he’s always fussin’ and frettin’ and carryin’ on.” Nori added.  
  
“Like you’re doin’ now?” She asked flatly.  
  
“Aye! I can’t take the notion of ye here all by yourself. Get to proposin’, brother. I can’t think on it another minute.” Nori prodded Dori.  
  
“Well, we were noticing what a categorically excellent location you have here.” Dori began, commenting on being on the direct route from the marketplace to Erebor’s gates and the close proximity to that same mountain. “Very soon, within weeks perhaps, the Erebor dwarves from Ered Luin will be arriving. Now, in the nearby city of Men to Ered Luin there is a tea house very popular among both Men and Dwarves. Many of the dwarves migrating to Erebor will have been raised their entire life in Ered Luin and though Erebor is our rightful home, will be homesick for the familiar.”  
  
“Oh, this is a business proposal…” Valadhiel realized with relief. She had not been looking forward to further breaking the little thief’s heart.  
  
“What other kind of proposal is there?” Dori asked but she quickly dismissed it and had him continue. “We were thinking what a good location this would be for a tea house as this would be the last of the businesses one would pass coming through Dale and one of the first coming from Lonely Mountain.”

“You want me to turn my bakery into a tea house?” She asked.  
  
“Not exactly.” Dori continued. “We think it could be both and more than twice as profitable at that.”  
  
“There is no way the space could justify enough tables and chairs to have both.” She said.  
  
“Not as it is.” Dori shook his head. “That is why we have purchased the adjacent lot.”  
  
“AH!” Valadhiel cried out. “I have been saving my coin for that lot. I was going to make it a garden…” Now these dwarves owned it and would either build a tea house there taking out the beautiful tree that was shading that side of her building or they would do who knows what else. It didn’t matter, her dreams of a garden lot were fading fast.  
  
“We know! The lad what sold us the property said so.” Nori said excitedly. “Show her the plans, Ori!”  
  
Ori unrolled the scrolled parchment he had been carrying. “You could still have a garden, though perhaps a little more vertical?” Ori suggested.  
  
The parchment was a blueprint for not just the courtyard, but redesign of her bakery. Valadhiel gasped to see it. The courtyard was still intact. The tree was still there with a bench encircling it, but instead of a garden there were long tables sitting atop a pebbled pavement. Each table had it’s own little roof, but it was otherwise still open air. Along the part open to the street were two long benches. But what was most impressive was that every part not used for seating or walking areas was covered in plants. There were even plants along the little table roofs There was an added balcony off the upstairs that shaded the side of the building along with covering one of the benches there, but it too had plants and flowers spilling over the edge as did the added window boxes that were under more windows than she had now.  
  
“It was Nori’s idea to add the extra windows.” Ori said.  
  
“Not so’s I could get in,” Nori was quick to add, “But so’s you could get some ventilation upstairs.”

“He suggested the awnings too.” Ori added, pointing out the pretty little awnings that shaded the window and gave the plants in the windowbox some protection from the noonday sun.  
  
Nori beamed at his own cleverness. “And when we heard ye was going to make it a garden, Dori remembered how them elves in Rivendell and Mirkwood had things growin’ everywhere and thought it would be more homey to ye if we added all the plant stuff.”  
  
“I had made quite a number of sketches while we were there, so I had good reference. The design as it is more to a dwarvish aesthetic and works with what you have already, but if you’d rather I can draw up a Rivendell design and a Mirkwood design for you to choose from.” Ori offered.  
  
Valadhiel shook her head, stunned to silence for a moment. “You made this, Ori…?  
  
“We all had input on the design.” Ori replied graciously.  
  
“Oh, this is a work of art.” She couldn’t take her eyes off the schematic.  
  
Ori blushed to be so complimented on his sketch and Nori’s eyes were so full of hope. Dori decided to get right down to the business. “We were thinkin’ 55/45% on the profits.” Nori’s eyes darted to him with a desperate pleading, but he had agreed to let Dori handle the business side of matters and Dori was the best of the three of them at haggling.  
  
“It sounds like a lot of extra work for me to give up the majority share of my bakery…” She said still looking at the sketch and finding new little details at every pass. Oh, such a beautiful dream.  
  
“You misunderstand, lass. 45% is our share. You would maintain the majority of the profits and we would do all of the work for the tea shop portion of the business. Well, Nori and I would. Ori can help when he’s not busy with his Senate Council work. You could make all your baked goods in the morning as you do and leave most here for us to sell with the tea while you make deliveries or sell in the larger marketplace. Though I doubt you would need to leave once the tea shop opens. I rather think you would be able to sell all of your baked goods here.” 

That sounded considerably better to her, but she was afraid she was dazzled by the beautiful vision of what the shop could be and not thinking clearly. “This looks like it will cost a lot of gold to remodel and do all of this. Knowing how much the lot cost and that I could not as yet afford it, you have to know I don’t have what would be required to front even a small portion of it.” She was trying to figure out from the blueprint how it could be done in stages, but 55% would be less than what she was making now, at least it would be in the beginning. It would have to be very tiny stages with a huge gap between each.

“Oh no, Miss Vala. This is our investment. We would put up the capital for the remodel. The only loss you would see is the two days it will take to make the necessary changes to the kitchen: the ordering window and the door to the courtyard. We can do that on your slowest two days to make the loss a minimum.” Dori said.  
  
It was sounding more and more favorable to her. She could easily enough make up the portion she would lose to them if they watched the shop while she took her deliveries and went to the marketplace as Dori had suggested. And it wasn’t as if she needed a lot of money. 55% was enough to run the business and still pay herself modestly. Dori opened up the contract for her to read over, but even there it seemed to be the majority in her benefit. This was how they intended to allow that crazy one to court her. All the same, they had already purchased the lot and it could be very bad if they were her neighbors and already starting on a bad foot. There was a lot to consider. She glanced at Nori’s ill-contained hopefulness and couldn’t help but look at their designs that were beyond her own imagining. She shook her head to clear the wistful image out of her head.  
  
“70/30!” Nori blurted out.  
  
“You know if I agree to this it doesn’t mean I agree to any romantic relations.” She said and Dori and Ori blushed, Nori nodded vigorously. “At all.”  
  
“The contract accounts for romantic relations, as you put it, to be at your discretion and choosing.” Dori said quietly. “We would, none of us, hold you to anything you didn’t want to do.”  
  
What a peculiar thing to be in a contract, but dwarves were thorough in their contractual agreements, and she was kind of glad it had been added. They must have anticipated it would be an issue with her. But in the contract, she could hold them to it. She was pretty sure it wouldn’t stop Nori from flirting, but at least it would keep it to the hours she was open and not when she was laying asleep in her bed. There were other vagaries within the contract, but she didn’t concern herself with what looked like dwarven minutiae that seemed to just account for every little possibility and all in her favor. “Well, it all looks to be in good order to me.” She said at last.  
  
“You don’t see any changes to be made?” Dori asked in surprise.  
  
She shook her head.  
  
“You’re agreeable to these terms?” Dori asked incredulously.  
  
“Looks agreeable to me.” She replied.  
  
“Me love is agreeable!” Nori shouted.  
  
“Calm down, Nori.” Dori said, his own voice cracking and he quickly lowered his tone. “Well, if you find it agreeable, we can begin work immediately.”  
  
“Let’s sign this thing then.” She said nodding.  
  
Nori fell out of his chair and Ori and Dori looked shocked.  
  
“We… we thought you’d need some time to think about it and for us to get the work done before it’s signed.” Dori said.  
  
“Well that doesn’t make sense. We should sign the contract before the work begins. What if you were to get the work all done and then I never signed. I would have gotten a lot of free work and that wouldn’t be right for you.”  
  
“But we wouldn’t expect you to agree to anything until sufficient time has passed.” Dori insisted. “If you were to not sign the contract after the work was complete then we would know our work was unacceptable.”  
  
“You’ll know it’s unacceptable if I say it is. Besides, I’ve never seen poor dwarven craftsmanship.” She said and the three dwarves shuddered at the thought of such a thing being spoken aloud. “Exactly. You wouldn’t even think of it. If it’s half as good as the picture Ori drew, it will still be more than twice as good as anything I could have come up with. You said the first wave of dwarves would be returning in weeks, right? We should get sign this thing and get started as soon as possible so they will feel at home.”  
  
Ori pulled out his quill case shakily.  
  
“Wait!” Nori stopped him. “We gotta do this first.” He rummaged around in a pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Valadhiel.  
  
“I told you, I’m not accepting any more gifts from you.” She said.  
  
“Them ain’t from me. Well, the handkerchief is mine, but you can give it back. I might be needin’ it anyways.” Nori said.  
  
Valadhiel opened the handkerchief and saw two more beads similar to the one still in her hair. She had meant again to ask Nori to take it out, but as he pointed out the one encrusted with amethysts and said it was one Dori made and the other made from a carved opal indicating it was from Ori, she realized she wasn’t going to be able to give his back and then accept these two.  
  
“Is the work sufficient?” Dori asked nervously when she picked up the bead covered with amethysts.  
  
“As I said, I’ve never seen a dwarf do anything poorly. This is beautiful.” She marveled at how their fat stubby fingers could set such tiny stones so flawlessly or carve an opal so delicately. “They are both beautiful.” She had at first thought the one with all the bright colored gemstones gaudy, but she was starting to get used to it and it seemed more cheerful to her now. She might come in time to look at it fondly and so she decided she would not insult Nori by making him take it back.  
  
“Ye’ll let ‘em put their beads in your hair?” Nori asked tentatively.  
  
She certainly couldn’t figure out how to take one off, she was sure it would be much easier to have the makers put them on. Dwarves seemed to be highly insulted if you didn’t accept a gift. Valadhiel nodded.  
  
Nori did indeed need the handkerchief as he sobbed into it and blew his nose mightily while his brothers each put their beads in her hair. “Maybe I oughta practice writin’ me name a couple a hundred times.” He suggested.  
  
“It doesn’t need to be fancy. Just sign your name.” Valadhiel said while Nori sat there just staring at the quill.  
  
He looked up at her with tears in his eyes. He had felt so inferior seeing Ori’s perfect signature and Dori’s own ornate script. He carefully wrote his name, his nose near to touching the parchment as he slowly, cautiously made each letter. He let out a deep breath he’d been holding the entire time and held out the quill to his fairytale princess, sighing when he felt the whisper of her fingertips across the palm of his hand when she took it from him. She quickly scrawled her name not putting near the effort they had into just signing their names.  
  
Nori jumped up from his chair and kissed her on the mouth when she was done.  
  
“Here now!” Dori grabbed him by his collar and yanked him back. “We just promised her that type of thing was up to her. Don’t go makin’ our contract void, Nori!” Dori scolded.  
  
“Aye, ye’re right! Ye’re right! I’m sorry.” Nori apologized. “I just got so excited is all. It won’t happen again.”  
  
Ah, an unexpected benefit of this contract, she realized. Nori wouldn’t be able to do anything she didn’t want and she could threaten voiding their contract if he did. This deal just got better and better. Not that she had minded his kiss too much, not that she’d let him know. “Don’t be gettin’ your hopes up.” She added in the same scolding tone Dori had used.  
  
Nori’s eyes were large and he shook his head. “I’ll just be happy gettin’ to see you every day!”  
  
What a sweet, funny little thing he was! She was in too good a mood to have it spoiled by his innocent, misplaced affections.  
  
She even got used to seeing him every day. He and his brothers showed up promptly every morning to work, though sometimes Ori would leave after a couple of hours to go to his job as scribe in the dwarven Council. She was always amused to see Dori scrubbing Ori’s face and dusting him off before he left. It was so funny she took to doing it as well telling him he missed a spot here and giving Ori a good scrubbing until his entire face was pink from shy embarrassment, but Ori would just grin sheepishly despite it all.  
  
One day she went after Dori instead, giving his entire face, neck, and ears a scrubbing to the great amusement or Nori and the gentle laughter of Ori. Every time she caught Dori looking at her that day he would blush and it would make her laugh again.  
  
Once she was able to bake again with the kitchen remodel done, she would send Ori off every day with a great basket of breads and sweets to take with him to the Council to share with the councilmen. Sometimes several of the Council members would come to the little shop on their way through and Dori was pleased to serve such lordly fellows and sit and chat with them over tea. Ori was pleased to have both of his brothers getting along so well and everyone so happy. Nori would whistle and sing and wash the little teacups and teapots and all of her baking tins, just ever so happy to have a place with purpose within his family.  
  
Valadhiel was happy to have them seamlessly join her business. It was so lovely now a few months after the remodeling was complete and business was good as the Erebor dwarves returned. She didn’t realize how lonely she had been before. Sometimes she even missed them when they left in the evening. Even though it wasn’t part of her allotted tasks, she would sometimes go out and join Dori talking with their guests and bringing fresh pots of tea and treats to their tables. Dori was always quick to stop her if he saw her doing something like wiping down a table as she was now, but she would laugh at him and try to see how many she could get done without him noticing. It was the least she could do for Nori would wash out her things and he kept the kitchen spotless and sometimes get there extra early to help her with the baking.  
  
She laughed softly to herself as she heard Dori already making his way over to her to take up the task. She pretended she didn’t hear him and hurried along, skirting around this table and that as he scurried after her. She had just turned to smile and laugh at him when she heard one of the Councilmen at a table with Ori say, “Your wife is a good cook, Ori.” Her eyes met Dori’s at exactly that moment they heard Ori reply, “She will be pleased you said so, sir.”  
  
Dori felt a tremor of fear go through him when he realized she didn’t know. The sunlight caught in the three beads in her braided hair that had been pulled back in a ponytail. She didn’t know what they signified.  
  
“That was more than just a business contract, wasn’t it?” She asked quietly.  
  
“All contracts are business, some are just happier business.” He answered hopefully.  
  
“We’ll talk about it later.” She said and returned to the kitchen leaving Dori to his fretting.  
  
She took the two teacups to Nori who smiled up at her and flipped them in the air bouncing them off his elbows and the top of his head. She had gradually grown accustomed to their reckless dishwashing and cleaning tactics. The first time when teacups and teapots started flying in the window she thought for sure that was the end of the business. But Nori had spun and caught every one agilely as he and his brothers sang a silly song. Nori would juggle and balance things precariously now just to amuse her.  
  
A few days earlier, as they had been finishing up for the day, she had heard Nori speaking to his brothers. “This is it, lads. This is our happily ever after.” She had felt his eyes on her as she often did. Instead of making her feel annoyed or awkward, she had felt deeply content.  
  
And now, what should she feel? She watched out the window as Ori began helping Dori clean up after the last guests were leaving. They came in and Dori stood there distractedly silent while Nori whistled obliviously and Ori continued chattering on about the day. Ori felt the tension first and stopped speaking mid-sentence to look from Dori to Valadhiel.  
  
“She heard the Councilman.” Dori said in a hushed voice, afraid to end this happiness in Nori who continued to hum until the last of the dishes were clean. “She… she didn’t know.”  
  
Nori turned and realized instantly something was amiss. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“Didn’t I tell you that if someone would lie to you, they would steal from you?” She said.  
  
Nori didn’t understand the tension in the room. “I think ye may have said it the other way around, Love.”  
  
“It works either way. I thought these two brothers of yours were innocent to your lying and stealing ways.” She continued.  
  
“Aye…” Nori was slow to respond. “I don’t steal no more. You know that.”  
  
“That’s not true.” Valadhiel walked up to Nori and looked down at him. “You’ve enlisted these brothers in your deception and they are just as guilty as you.”  
  
Nori shook his head. “No. Whatever come up missin’ weren’t us, Love. Ye gotta believe me! I’ve been earnin’ your trust and love, that’s all. If somethin’s gone, it must be some other dirty thief.”  
  
She shook her head. “No. I know it was you. You tricked me into marriage and now you’ve gone and stolen my heart.” She kissed Nori, much to his and his brothers’ surprise. To his further surprise the kiss didn’t end quickly, but deepened and lingered, leaving Nori breathless.  
  
“That’s some really confusin’ punishment, Love…” Nori murmured when she finally pulled away.  
  
“The punishment should be appropriate to the crime, my little jackdaw.” She whispered and kissed him again. Dori and Ori came over and wrapped the two of them in a hug. “You should be punished too.” She said to Ori and kissed him, making him whimper.  
  
“I’m the eldest, so I should be held responsible.” Dori suggested, swallowing hard as he awaited his punishment.  
  
“You’re right.” She turned and kissed him smartly on the mouth, nearly making Dori’s knees buckle, but his brothers helped support him.    
  
“Now then, my loves, about that happily ever after…”


End file.
